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Summer 2004

Union Members in the Firing Line

I know everyone is so “over” politics after such a long election campaign, with our letterboxes stuffed with propaganda everyday and the TV running nonstop shock and fear adverts. But the result of the election is something we can’t ignore.

The re-election of the Howard Government on 9th October places industrial relations back into the spotlight of national politics. The election also delivered to the Government control of the Senate, the first time a Government has controlled the Senate since the Fraser Government in the 1970s.

John Howard has made no secret of the fact that he believes there is a need for more Deregulation of industrial relations. He has also made it clear over many years that he doesn't like unions.

In a speech prior to the recent election he described unions as the greatest barrier to productivity.

Howard and his Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, are determined to use the power they will have from July next year to attack unions and reduce their capacity to represent workers.

Members will have seen the newspaper reports about the newly elected Government's determination to deregulate industrial relations. Deregulation means removing protections that workers have enjoyed for decades.

We have already seen the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission reduced, and it is expected that this trend will continue.

Awards will be stripped back further to be nothing more than the lowest set of minimum conditions, individual contracts will be further encouraged and more workers will be exempted from unfair dismissal remedies.

John Howard has also stated that he would like to see State Industrial Relations systems scrapped in favour of a national system of his making.

A closer examination of legislation that has been introduced by the Howard Government since they first came to power in 1996 gives a clear indication of their attitude towards unions and workers.

At the time of the last election on 9th October 2004, there were sixteen Bills that had been ejected by the Senate after passing the House of Representatives. These Bills can be passed after the Howard Government assumes control of the Senate in July next year.

The legislation, will make life more difficult for unions and workers.

The various Bills propose to:
. Reduce further the number of matters which can be included in awards;
. Require unions to conduct secret ballots before taking industrial action;
. Increase penalties against Unions for not complying with Commission orders;
. Prohibit bargaining fees in State Agreements where a constitutional corporation is a party (this is all incorporated bodies);
. Removes small business (business which employ less than twenty employees) from the unfair dismissal provisions. This will be extended to State jurisdictions for employees employed by constitutional corporations);
and
. Exempt small businesses from having to make redundancy payments.

If comments from business leaders and members of Howard's ministry are taken into consideration it is reasonable to expect that there will be a greater emphasis on Australian Workplace Agreements (individual contracts), restrictions on Union access to workplaces and a further reduction in the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

Significantly for HACSU members, the Howard Government, supported by the business community, will push to override State industrial relations systems to bring all workers into the federal jurisdiction.

My view - by HACSU Industrial and Research Officer, Tom Kleyn